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freezer space

I’m feeling a bit self conscious about all the food lists. Here’s part of the deal – growing up, we always had plenty of food. We could have fed an army (a large one) for a month through careful management of the food stores in our house at any time. But that also meant that where was a good deal of wastage in our vegetable drawer.

So if I make lists and keep track of everything, I can (theoretically) eat everything before it spoils and I won’t waste. There you go.

Okay, so in this entry I scheduled the food consumption for the entire week. And I still had to freeze a piece of meat to wait until the following week.

Only now my grocery store is having some nice meat specials:
boneless skinless chicken breasts: $1.58/lb
beef chuck steak (with bone): $.99/lb
mutton (MUTTON!): $1.99/lb
(note: specials end on Friday)

And my freezer is just about full!

Oh noes!

So now I need to figure out how to use up the things in my freezer before such time as the meat would be in dire need of freezing.

Things in my freezer
in the door:
-packets of frozen chicken breasts (6 or so)
-packets of frozen ground beef (3)
-packet of frozen ground beef cooked with taco seasoning (1 large)
-box of phyllo dough
-frozen steaks (2)
-partial bag of pecans

far left:
-stacks of frozen lunches (these can be moved to work, but I like to reserve the space for future lunches)
-boxes of butter (2)
-pint of peach sorbet
-there’s a thin box of something I can’t remember what
-bag of corn (1)
-bag of peas (1/4)
-container with frozen egg whites
-container with frozen waste grease
-small container of chicken fat

far right:
-ice cube container
-ice cube trays (3) (2 are freezing coconut milk)
-bag with 5 bagels
-marinating london broil
-failed rolls (my mother made them – they are terrible rolls, but great as bread in soup or other things, very tasty, but poor texture)

middle: (most likely to be easily used up)
-gallon bag of chicken stock ice cubes
-quart bag of chicken stock ice cubes
-gallon bag of chicken gravy ice cubes
-gallon bag (so far half full) of coconut milk ice cubes
-tray of fat back cut into strips (I can give this to my mother)
-bacon rind
-bacon (1lb)
-bag of 2 bagels (2)
-bag of 3 bagels (1) – (I can give this one to [redacted])
-chicken backs
-small bottle of vodka (2)

So it looks like I should either make soup or eat a lot of bagels, and I’m not really ready to do either.

Conclusion: If I make a lot of soup, will someone else eat it for me?

Why, yes, I do compulsively make lists

Bread products
tortilla chips
1 roll
1 loaf of honey wheat bread

Produce
carrots
celery
lemons
turnip greens
snow peas
2 very ripe tomatoes
potatoes
grapes
jalepeno peppers

Dairy
whole milk
cheese cubes
gorgonzola cheese
brie cheese
habanero cheese slices
horseradish cheddar
roquefort cheese made into salad dressing
goat cheese (sealed – will keep for a bit)

Meat
London Broil (has been put into freezer, marinade and all)
1/3 lb turkey cold cuts

Monday (check out Rite Aid closing sale)
sandwich: cold cuts, spicy cheese, fancy mayo, tomato, (turnip greens?), jalepeno peppers, wheat bread

Tuesday (take grapes to work)
Sandwich: tomato, brie, jalepeno pepper, wheat bread

Wednesday (see Cassendre Xavier at the Rotunda until late)
sleazy cheesy dip and chips

Thursday (Devil Wears Prada screening)
leave work at 12:30
lunch = sandwich (big so that I can order cheap things for dinner)
Farmers’ market – buy salad greens?
dinner = eat out

Friday (don’t leave the house)
Cereal for breakfast
Snow Peas – stir fried with lemons & jalepeno peppers?
Mashed potatoes (with milk and misc cheeses)
Make chicken stock?
put London Broil to thaw for Sunday

Saturday (game night)
breakfast – cheese biscuits?
farmers’ market – maybe Rittenhouse Square one, if salad greens aren’t good enough on Thursday

Sunday
grill London Broil

Monday
bread pudding?

Listing food

Food I have
Unfrozen Meat
beef leftovers from Harry’s
raw london broil

Vegetables that need to be used
mushrooms
some mustard greens
celery
lemons
half a purple onion
potatoes
tomatoes
1 red bell pepper

Fruit
half a coconut in pieces
half a coconut soaking to make coconut milk
– freeze the milk into ice cubes and use the shredded meat

Miscellany
almost a pint of rice
a scrap of mozzarella wrapped around hot pepper stuff

Possible meals
Wednesday 5/31 (no plans, hot weather)
buy pineapple and make ambrosia
Fried rice: bell pepper, purple onion, mushrooms, greens, small coconut pieces?, some pineapple?, frozen peas, rice, an egg

To do: but binders board to size for class on Saturday

Thursday 6/1 (movie at 7:30)
Hash: bacon, harry’s leftovers, potatoes, and onions

To do: cut fabric in to reasonably sized pieces

Friday 6/2 (running around doing class prep: buy restaurant waxed paper and/or dollar store plastic tablecloths, cut everything to size)
london broil (marinate in ginger, unagi sauce, lime, and a bit of soy sauce)
mashed potatoes
grill tomatoes?

Saturday 6/3 SCA event
(bother, I’ll have to leave too early in the day to make my farmers’ market)

Sunday 6/4 bridge

Following week – probably only making dinner Monday and Tuesday – thaw 1 packet of chicken. I can make the chicken with a box mix of risotto. And then the other day I can have either cold cereal or sleazy cheesy dip just for fun. Goulash or stroganoff from the london broil leftovers

Planning the week

Food I have
meat
leftover beef roast
leftover pork roast

vegetables
zucchini
spinach
salad greens
jalapeno peppers
carrots
chinese cabbage

Meal Planning
Monday, April 24 – 7:30 movie screening
something quick and easy – salad: with blue cheese, toasted pecans, purple onion, and a red wine and balsamic vinaigrette

Tuesday, April 25
beef, zucchini, spinach, onions, peppers – with mexican beans and rice

Wednesday, April 26
pork, chinese cabbage, carrots, peppers – stir fried with flat noodles

Thursday, April 27
Dining Out for Life?
going early to New York?

Just figuring out a menu for the week

Monday
Townes van Zant thing until late
leftover sloppy joes

Tuesday *turned out very well*
Thai Curry
– green beans
– yellow & red bell peppers
– chicken? tofu? no protein at all?
– ginger
– carrots
– maybe buy some hot peppers to put in, too
over rice – make with coconut cream instead of butter

Wednesday
union elections
Meat & Potatoes
– last of the leftover beef
– potatoes
– onions
– garlic
– red bell pepper
– bacon!
– frozen gravy

Thursday
2 bacon & egg sandwiches
going to see V for Vendetta